Hindsman appointed to Recreation and ParksTommy Hindsman was appointed to serve as commissioner for the Russellville Recreation and Parks Commission during the Russellville City Council meeting on Sept. 18. Hollis said he made the recommendation to appoint Hindsman to Mayor Bill Eaton, who in turn made the recommendation to the Russellville City Council. "I knew he would be a really good fit and help us out a lot," Hollis said. Hindsman, co-owner of Hindsman & Son Tires, has a degree ...

ATU Debate team has successful first tournamentThe ATU Debate and Forensics team recently competed in their first tournament of the year, the “Weevil Wars” tournament hosted by the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM). The ATU debaters competed in three divisions of the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) debate: team, individual novice and individual varsity debate. Twelve debaters traveled to and competed in this tournament. In the varsity division, ATU was represented b...

Clarksville hosts Safe Treat EventCLARKSVILLE — The Clarksville Police Department (CDP) is looking for helpers for its 4th annual Safe Treat Event later this month. "We are actively seeking vendors to come and host games, fun things and snack giveaways," Sterling Penix, CPD public information officer, said. "Churches, businesses, civic groups and more are encouraged to come out and host a table. Registration is free." The Safe Treat Event will be free and open to the public. "...

News Briefs (Oct. 20, 2014)Crow Mountain Crime Watch to meet The Crow Mountain Crime Watch will meet at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Mars Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The speaker will be Blake Wilson. Refreshments will be served. 2014 Prime Time event set for Thursday The 2014 Prime Time event will be held from 5-7 p.m. Thursday in the Hughes Community Center. Prime Time is a business expo setting for the new members that joined during the 2014 Membership Event, the...

Derrick pleads guilty to manslaughterApril Derrick, who was initially charged with first-degree murder in the March 1 shooting death of 40-year-old Josh Garner, pleaded guilty to manslaughter Monday in the Pope County Circuit Court. Derrick, 37, was sentenced to 120 months and was credited for the 70 days she spent in the Pope County Detention Center prior to posting a $75,000 bond in May. Derrick was arrested in March following a shooting at a residence on North Market Street in...

The Great Sequoyah CampoutStudents at Sequoyah Elementary School sing camp songs at the seventh annual Great Sequoyah Campout held Thursday at the school. The campout broke last year's attendance record by 78 with 340 campers attending. Students enjoyed rotating through four stations including: "Leave No Trace" under the direction of Robert Duggan, "Native Americans From This Area" with Sasha Bowles, "Leaf Art" directed by Ashley Bryan, Julie Oxendine and Denise Wiedow...

Russellville City Council Candidate Q&AWard 1, Position 1 candidates Mark Tripp Why are you seeking this position? I love Russellville. This is my hometown. I was born and raised in this community. My wife, Laura Beth, and I have four children, who all attend Russellville public schools. She and I are both graduates of Russellville High School, and I am an alum of Arkansas Tech University. I am passionately dedicated to Russellville and truly believe that we live in one of the best...

Police chief: City is a safe place to liveJeff Humphrey began his third year as Russellville’s police chief by telling the City Council that Cabot is the only city in Arkansas that has a lower crime rate than Russellville. Humphrey told aldermen through the first nine months of 2014, police have been dispatched to 15,427 calls for service. Department statistics include: • 148 felon arrests; • 842 misdemeanor arrests; • 8,139 traffic stops; • 5,079 traffic citations; • 79 DWI arrests; ...

Vets want to bring Vietnam Memorial Wall to RussellvilleMembers of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2283 Unit 13, VFW Riders Group and VFW Ladies Auxiliary want to bring the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall to Russellville next year. David Cone, representing the VFW Riders Group Unit 13 Committee, told the Russellville City Council during its regular meeting Thursday he is among several veterans who can’t visit the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. He said he was approached to bring the Vietnam ...

News Briefs (Oct. 19, 2014)PCLS Bookends Book Club meeting The Pope County Library System (PCLS) Book Club will meet in Heritage Hall located next door to Russellville Public Library at 6 p.m. Monday. The PCLS Book Club will discuss “Wonder” by R.J. Polacio. For more information, call Sherry Simpson at (479) 968-4368 or email thebookends2014@gmail.com. Downtown Fall Festival, Chili Cookoff The 23rd annual Downtown Fall Festival and Chili Cookoff will be held Saturday th...

Pottsville approves state tennis tripPOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville Board of Education approved an overnight student trip to Arkadelphia during its monthly meeting on Thursday. Pottsville High School tennis players will compete in the Class 4A State Tennis Tournament on Monday and Tuesday at Ouachita Baptist University and Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. Celeste Parker will compete in girls singles. McKenna Brahum and Mariah Prock will compete in girls doubles, and Nathan...

Farmer cultivates nutritious food for studentsFew things in life bring Chuck McCool more joy than being able to reap what he sows. Farmer McCool sows watermelon, squash, cucumbers, green beans, okra, tomatoes, mustard greens, lettuce and cantaloupe on his 30-acre farm in Rover. And rather than storing it for winter, he shares it — with the students of local school districts. "I want to convey it's fresh, local, home grown. It's what you'd get if you grew it at home," McCool said. "I'm try...

Saint Mary's ready to stop the spread of EbolaThe staff and administration of Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center want Arkansas River Valley residents to be assured the hospital is prepared to treat a patient with the Ebola virus should the need arise. New procedures are in place to ensure at-risk patients are cleared of Ebola to assure patient, staff and community safety. Saint Mary's Infection Control Nurse Monica Baxter said the staff has updated guidelines to follow since the outbrea...

Atkins water supervisor resigns ATKINS — Willie Harvill, Atkins Water Works supervisor, announced during Tuesday’s regular City Council meeting that he will retire on Jan. 15, 2015, which will also mark his 50th anniversary. Harvill’s announcement came after he gave council members and Mayor Jerry Don Barrett a page of issues and said the past few months have been “very discouraging” for water employees. Among the issues Harvill cited were an imbalanced pay scale and a commu...

Lamar receives grant for athletic fieldsLAMAR — Superintendent Roy Hester informed the Lamar Board of Education of a $25,000 grant for the school's baseball and softball fields during its monthly meeting on Monday. A partnership between the Lamar School District and Lamar Youth Athletics was awarded a $25,000 grant in September, Hester said. "It's for adding a batting cage, pitching machine, scoreboard, bleachers, portable backstops and repairs to the current backstop," Hester said....

Investigators seize 54 pounds of potThe Arkansas State Police arrested a California man with 54 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop Thursday in Pope County. Leck Chounlabout, 36, of Stockton, Calif., was traveling east on Interstate 40 when officers stopped him near the 87 mile marker in Russellville around 5:47 p.m., according to a police report. The reason for the stop was not listed in the report. Officers noted smelling marijuana and that Chounlabout was acting "extrem...

Bond hearingsEditor's note: According to Arkansas state law, the media are prohibited from publishing the name of a juvenile unless he or she is formally charged with a felony. The juvenile who appeared during felony bond hearings had not been formally charged as of Friday afternoon. The following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Friday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. ...